Tuesdays at 9:20pm on ABC TV.

The Philippines - Priests & the Sex Mafia

Broadcast: 05/06/2007

Reporter: Eric Campbell

LEAD STORYSERIES 16EPISODE 36

Synopsis

Father Shay Cullen is an internationally recognised, charismatic Irish missionary who has lived in The Philippines for over thirty years. He runs a centre for children rescued from sexual abuse, and is a fearless campaigner for kidsí rights. He often goes undercover as a sex tourist, using a hidden camera to try to catch the pimps selling kids.

But many locals, including other churchmen, as well as foreigners who have been accused of abusing children, say Father Cullen goes too far. They accuse him of telling the children what to say in court Ė charges strenuously denied by Father Cullen.

In the poverty-stricken Philippines, itís often impossible to get to the truth, as the accused often pay off the witnesses and bribe court officials.

Eric meets the children Father Cullen has rescued from abuse, including a half-Australian girl who was found in a sex bar aged just 13, and Victor Fitzgerald, an Australian yachtsman who was convicted on evidence gathered by Father Cullen.

Itís an intriguing tale, with some bizzare twists and turns, and a cast of larger than life characters Ė including Victor Fitzgerald himself, who is still awaiting the outcome of his appeal Ė six years after it was heard.